Thursday April 23rd 2009 is a date I will never forget. On the Wednesday evening Simon and I were supposed to be going away to Dorset for a mini-break, but as Simon had a headache we decided to go down on Thursday morning instead.

We were up bright and early, just putting the last bits and pieces in the car when the phone rang. It was my daughter Kristie, who lived with my twin sister Tina and her husband, Woody, and their family. She told me that Tina was in hospital about to have an emergency operation. She had suffered a brain haemorrhage late on Wednesday night and was due in theatre any minute to have life saving brain surgery. I felt my legs go to jelly and I could hardly speak. I had been speaking to Tina only the evening before and she had been totally fine.

I went straight to Tina’s house as her children all needed to be cared for and I wanted to be with Kristie too. Tina and Woody had been unable to have children and had adopted seven learning disabled children over the course of several years. They ranged in age from three to seventeen at the time. It was an unreal morning, trying to hold myself together for the sake of the children, but desperately waiting for the phone call from Woody, who was at the hospital, to find if she had made it through the surgery. Finally just after lunch Woody rang to say she was in intensive care but that the surgery had been successful. I was over the moon. I had been praying so hard and felt that my prayers had been answered.

Within a couple of days Tina was moved to the High Dependency Unit and was doing well. She complained of the most dreadful headache but the staff told us that was quite normal due to her brain surgery. After just a few more days Tina was moved to a general neurological ward and appeared to be making excellent progress. She was able to walk and talk quite normally and have a shower and walk around the ward. The expectation was that she would be home within the week!

Kristie and I were visiting her daily and on the Thursday, just a week after her operation, we had all been sitting chatting about the programmes she would be watching that evening when the nurse brought her tea, which included a small bowl of ice cream. Within minutes Tina’s speech was becoming confused and then I noticed that she was having problems eating her ice cream. Her hand was making odd movements and she was unable to hold the spoon. I alerted the staff on the ward and they explained that she might have some fluid on the brain and would carry out a lumbar puncture to release any fluid. When I left the hospital that evening I was obviously concerned, but the staff had been very reassuring and it seemed that this was quite normal and that the lumbar puncture was routine.

The following morning I rang the hospital and they asked me to visit urgently. They explained that Tina was once again in intensive care. I was not at all prepared for what faced me that day. The consultant explained that Tina had suffered a massive stroke due to having a vasospasm, a rare side effect of the brain surgery. In layman’s terms, the blood vessels within her brain had gone into spasm and no blood had been able to reach the frontal lobes. I was warned that they fully expected her to die. I don’t know how I managed to physically stand by her bed, I was shaking and crying so much. She was lying there covered with wires and tubes, buzzers kept going off and she was fitting, which was terrifying to watch. The machines that were keeping her alive required almost constant attention by the special nurses who were with her. I couldn’t believe that she had been doing so well and now they really thought she would die. I prayed so much that day, I asked God why this happened and kept telling Tina over and over again how much I loved her and that she would come through this ok. When I eventually left the hospital that evening I emailed every healer I could find on the internet asking if they could please send Tina healing.

I really didn’t think I’d be able to sleep that night, but nervous exhaustion thankfully sent me straight to sleep. I awoke in the morning dreading the news from the hospital. I phoned and they said she was ‘stable’, but added that there had been no improvement. I went to the hospital as soon as I could and was met by the ward sister who told me to expect the worse. She explained that only the machines were keeping her alive, and even if she did survive the prognosis was that she would be severely disabled and unable to enjoy any quality of life as her brain was so badly damaged. Yet again I sat with her, talking to her, stroking her hand gently. I prayed that she would not leave me. I had lost my Mum, my Dad and my brother all within the space of three and half months just a few years before, and I just couldn’t bear the thought of losing my twin sister too. I talked to her about our childhood, about the fun we used to have, about family memories, even about the battles we’d had. I just felt that I could not give up.

I was sure one day that she had lightly squeezed my hand as I was about to leave, but the nurses assured me that she wouldn’t be able to do that. They said that her brain was unable to distinguish my voice and that she most probably did not have the ability to understand anything I said to her. I ignored their advise and just carried on chatting to her right up until the moment I had to leave in the evenings. Days went by and there was no progress and it became more and more likely that she would just fade away. I was totally heartbroken. I had never lived through such a time. Being an identical twin is impossible to really understand unless you are a twin yourself. We had been together since before we were born. We had shared virtually every part of our lives, most of our childhood and teenage experiences, and even though we had fought dreadfully at times, we were always there for each other and loved one another more than can be explained. Now, days in to her stroke, I was trying to come to terms with the real possibility that this was the end. That I would not have my twin sister anymore.

They decided to carry out a further operation to install a shunt, a drain in her brain, which would release the fluid from her brain into her stomach. The operation was in itself risky, but without it she didn’t stand a chance, the fluid in her brain was building all the time. Again there was the dreadful time of waiting to see if she had pulled through and thankfully she did. We waited for a couple more days to see if there was any improvement, but still Tina just lay there motionless, on full life support, with every vein in her body seemingly linked to some needle to give her life saving fluids and drugs. They even had to start using the veins in her feet as they were running out of veins in her arms, her hands and her shoulders.

I continually asked God why this was happening and what more could I do to help her and her family through this, but I was too upset to hear any answers. Finally, in desperation, I called a medium that I found on the internet. I didn’t want to phone anyone who knew me, I really wanted someone who had no previous knowledge of who I was. Immediately she began speaking to me, she described our Dad in the most wonderful detail, and told me that he was talking about someone very close to me who had suffered a bleed on the brain. She said this person was in a critical condition and was literally between worlds. She then went on to describe our Mum, both physically and her character, and said that she was with both of us. Amazingly she also described our brother and said that he was looking over us and that he was giving me the strength to cope with it all. She told me that Tina was aware of them with her. I asked her why this was happening and she said that Tina had chosen to go through this before she was born. She explained that it was an experience Tina’s soul had wanted and importantly it would show who would support her and who wouldn’t, who would be able to understand, and who would turn away due to the severity of the situation. I did ask if Tina would survive and the medium told me that she couldn’t answer that, but said that Tina had a very strong spirit and that whatever happened was supposed to happen. I was stunned by such an accurate reading, but still had wished that I could have been told what would be the outcome.

The next day I went into the hospital again and as I walked in I said my usual ‘Hi Sis’ and took her hand. I was sure her eyelids moved and then thought I felt her gently squeeze my hand again. I didn’t mention it to the nurses, who I felt sure thought I was imagining it, but inside I felt a warm glow and a real sense of joy. Something in me realised that she had turned the corner, that she would be ok.

For the first time in weeks I felt an inner calm, an inner strength, I knew I could cope, as if I had been shown there was light at the end of the tunnel. I was full of optimism for her future. Tina’s small movements became almost like a secret code between her and I. Many times that day her eyelids moved as I said something funny and her fingers softly brushed mine. I gave her a kiss goodbye before I left and said I’d see her the next day.

The following day I was over the moon to see that Tina had her tracheostomy tube removed. She could breathe on her own! That was a huge hurdle. As usual I said ‘Hi Sis’ when I arrived and I almost fell over when a few moments later she uttered, in a very hoarse voice,’ Hi’ – she was back!!! The nurses were laughing and clapping and the whole atmosphere in the unit was lifted. She didn’t say anything again for a few days, but she still kept moving her eyelids and through her squeezing my hand I could feel her strength grow day by day.

After several more weeks Tina slowly made progress to the point where she was transferred to a neurological rehabilitation unit within the hospital. She was paralysed on her right side, still doubly incontinent, unable to even turn herself, unable to swallow food, and only able to say a few words, but she could laugh, and we would share afternoons laughing at the times we had been through together. I would sit with her and we would watch comedy shows and it would lift her spirits. It really did seem that through joy and laughter she became better and better. Through everything that had happened to her she had managed somehow to keep her sense of humour.

Over the two years Tina spent in two specialist rehabilitation hospitals, she showed incredible inner strength and courage, overcoming the most enormous obstacles. Learning to do even the most basic things from scratch which most of us take for granted. She suffered dreadful setbacks, crippling pain in her paralysed arm and leg, frustration of a damaged brain that would not function as she wished, and the agony of a broken hip from falling over when trying to use a walking stick. She had to be admitted to a normal hospital for a hip replacement operation and this caused even more problems as people didn’t understand her speech and her understanding of language, having had such a serious brain injury. Everytime they asked her if she required painkillers she said yes, even if she didn’t, and by the time she was returned to the rehab unit she was totally bombed by the amount of morphine in her body. It took weeks for her to get back to some sense of normality. She suffered incredible loneliness and depression whilst trying to come to terms with the fact that most importantly, she had lost her independence.

There were so many experiences that had me in tears over the time she was in hospital, but one of the most memorable occasions for me was when she was first able to stand, albeit with support, and we could have a hug. It was the best hug I’d ever had. We were both in tears as for the first time in many months I held her in my arms and she could hug me back too. Another wonderful memory was just before her first Christmas in hospital. The nurses organised a Carol Service and arranged for a local choir to come along and we all sat singing the carols. Many of the patients sang too, including Tina, who still has a beautiful singing voice. They gave her a microphone and she sang Once in Royal David’s City. With tears streaming down my face it took me straight back to when we were both five and were angels in our school nativity play and we had sung that very song together back then.

I was amazed by the most wonderful work the teams at the rehabilitation units undertook to get Tina as far along the recovery route as possible. Their patience and understanding was incredible. I was overwhelmed by the gentleness and kindness of other relatives visiting their loved ones who were also going through the most traumatic times and yet there was a camaraderie between us all, all supporting one another and all living for the time when those dear to us would regain even a little of their lives. The love within the rehab units was so strong. They were places of both immense sadness and unbelievable joy, much laughter and sometimes, sadly, unbearable heartache.

I was stunned by the kindness from the wonderful worldwide community of healers, many of whom stayed in contact with me throughout her two years in hospital. The strangers, literally scattered across the globe who showed an interest and continued to send their healing thoughts to Tina. I will never be able to thank them enough. I was so saddened by the lack of support from the friends and relatives that Tina had. I would never have thought that those whom she had loved and considered close backed away and found themselves too busy to even phone to find out how she was. I was appalled by the total lack of support from social services who I had assumed would be able to offer some kind of help to Woody and the children, but who in reality basically told me that as the children had been adopted and not fostered there was nothing they could do. Just as the medium had said, it was an experience which showed people’s true colours.

It was an eye-opener where friends and relatives were concerned, but it has made us both realise who really matters and who had only been there for the good times. The marriage vow, ‘for better, for worse’, often comes to my mind when I think of the people in Tina’s life who moved away from her and her family during this time, when they needed the love and support the most, and sadly received it the least. Some people even voiced that they felt it would have been better that she had just died. It is something I have tried to understand, but just can’t grasp. Maybe the lessons are for all of them, maybe they too one day may require those they hold dear to have the patience and understanding to deal with such a trauma, who knows. Some things are beyond my comprehension and maybe I will find the answers when I am once again back with my family in the spirit world.

Tina amazed all the consultants and specialists involved in her care. They said many times that her recovery was a miracle, that it should have been impossible for her to make the progress that she has. Although paralysed on her right side she is still improving. She has learnt to walk again, to eat again, has regained her speech, kept most of her memories and importantly has made new friends through her involvement in stroke clubs that she regularly attends. She has become an avid reader, has learnt to master her i-phone and laptop, how to use Spotify to listen to her favourite music, and can play a mean game of scrabble! I feel blessed that I still have my sister and that I have been able to share in such an enlightening experience.

I thank Mum, Dad and our brother Ray, for the continued love and support they have given us, without which I am sure I would have crumbled. I thank God for Tina’s ongoing recovery and for the strength I was given to cope with this. Most of all I thank Tina for being my twin, she is an inspiration.

On Tuesday nights I watch ‘Touch’, a fictional supernatural programme starring Keifer Sutherland who plays Martin, a widower, and who is the single father of a young boy, Jake, who is emotionally challenged.

Martin is unable to make any kind of connection with Jake who has never spoken a word and will not allow anyone to touch him. Jake lives in his own world but he is obsessed with numbers and can see both the past, present and future through the connections that the numbers make. I have always felt that we are all connected, that we are all from the creator, or as some would say, from source, or from God. I find the series fascinating with its insight into synchronicity and the realisation for the father, Martin, that there are no such things as coincidences.

On Monday I had received an email from a woman in America who has been reading my blogs. She asked me if I could help her in advising how she could receive spiritual healing. She had, she felt, been the victim of a con man who had charged her quite a large amount for supposedly healing her. She needed someone she could trust and had asked spirit for guidance and they had told her to contact me! I wasn’t feeling too well on Tuesday, so I didn’t reply to her straight away, but sent an email telling her I would email her again on Wednesday.

Tuesday night I settled down to watch Touch. This weeks episode wasn’t so much about numbers, but more about a pattern within a cats cradle that Jake kept making with wool. Martin, his father, had to try to place the pattern and work towards connecting people who were associated with it. All sounds rather odd if you haven’t been watching Touch, but in the programme it all made perfect sense. The important part of the pattern was two triangles which kept appearing in different guises and always made a connection with people, even across continents.

On Wednesday morning I was lying in bed, thinking of the email I had received and how I could possibly help someone who lived so far away – over 4,000 miles – when I happened to look out of my bedroom window. I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a perfect cross in the sky. It was exactly the pattern that Jake had been showing his father which connected everyone! I knew there and then that the distance between us meant nothing spiritually.

That in itself, was, synchronistically speaking, quite amazing. Later on Wednesday I was chatting to a wonderful friend of mine, Jane, who is both a gifted medium and healer. She was telling me about a workshop she had recently attended which was teaching a new way of healing, it was about a system called The Healing Code. I looked it up on the internet and saw that there was a book available and downloaded it to my kindle. Having read a few chapters I thought it would make sense for the lady in America to read it too. I emailed her and sent her a link to the book. At the same time I agreed to send her spiritual healing myself, and as I was typing her email I was covered in goosebumps which to me shows that I am certainly make the right decision.

The following day I received another email from her. On Wednesday she had gone and bought a book, The Power, the follow-up book to The Secret. It wasn’t the one I had been reading, but it included reference to the same man who had written the book I had advised her to buy! He was the only MD featured in the popular DVD of The Secret. Neither of us could believe it!! There we are, me living here in England and her in America, and of all the books in the world, she buys a book that includes a reference to the very same man. What are the chances of that? More synchronicity.

I feel that spirit has shown me this week, in more than one way, that we are all truly connected. We arranged that today I would send the lady spiritual healing. As I sat at a pre-arranged time I was again covered in my familiar goose-bumps and as I asked my healing guides to draw close and send healing to the lady I felt the most wonderful connection.

I had never taken much of an interest in angels and had never seen anything like an angel until last summer when I was particularly unwell. I was going through a very bad phase health wise and was feeling despondent because I had optimistically booked a five-day residential mediumship course with the Accolade Academy at Margam in Wales. I was so ill I really thought that I wouldn’t be able to cope with the journey there, never mind actually manage the course.

Only a few days before I was due to go away, I was talking with my friend Martha McKinnon, a gifted medium and healer who I have known for several years. I was telling her how disappointed I was that I would be unable to attend the course and how another friend was on standby to take my place. Martha very kindly offered to give me healing. Now Martha lives in Scotland and I am in Hampshire, so we are not at all close geographically, in fact it is over 430 miles, but Martha said this would make no difference. We arranged for me to lie on my bed at 9pm and that she would text me when she had started and would text again when she was finished.

I laid on the bed and to be honest wasn’t expecting to feel anything at all. I didn’t hear Martha’s text arrive, so just closed my eyes and relaxed. I was immediately aware of a presence around me and was sure I could hear people softly talking, but I didn’t open my eyes because I was a little wary of what or who I might see! I felt a wonderful sense of love and warmth surrounding me and in a strange way my body felt unbelievably light. It was a very lovely feeling. I must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing I knew was that I was waking up and seeing that it was exactly an hour since I had laid down.

I was going to get up and make a cup of tea but somehow felt I should carry on lying there until I heard from Martha. I was just lying on the bed looking at the ceiling when I saw a small bright light above me. As I looked closer I could see that in the light was a small face. I couldn’t believe my eyes and sat up to take a closer look. The face was surrounded by a soft golden light and then I saw what I can only describe as waves of what looked like downy feathers encircling the face. I watched as it moved slowly across the ceiling and then disappeared. I was stunned. I had never seen anything like it before. Then I noticed another light across the room, and again there was a small face, surrounded by the same golden light and downy feathers and it too drifted across the ceiling and then faded. This happened twice more.

By now I decided I really did need that cup of tea and checked my phone to see if Martha had sent a text. She had, but only the one before she had started the healing, and I realised then that I hadn’t heard it because my phone was on mute. The text read: ‘The healing has left my hands darling, and it’s now in the hands of the angels! I’m being told that they are working with you right now, so lie still for another wee while honey and you will feel so much better soon! But don’t worry cos you will known when it’s time to move about ok? Let me know how you feel later darling.’

My goodness, I couldn’t believe it! I really wondered if what I had seen had been tiny angels and there was Martha’s text confirming that she had left my healing in the angels hands. I couldn’t wait to tell Martha and rang her. She said she wasn’t at all surprised. I was amazed, not just with the angels I had seen, but by how very small they were. If someone had asked me to describe an angel I would have assumed that they were at least our size or larger. Martha told me that she felt they came in all sizes! The next day I was over the moon when I felt better than I had in months and the feeling of energy running through me was incredible. I had to tell my friend on standby that I would be able to go on the course after all. I know she was disappointed as she was looking forward to the possibility of going herself, but she was also really pleased that I was feeling so well.

Several months passed and I had not been aware of any angels again until one evening I was lying down and about to begin a healing meditation. I saw a haze of the deepest purple surrounding me and then saw a small golden glow down to my right. When I looked closer the glow became more and more intense and then there, right in the middle of it, was a very small angel looking up at me with arms outstretched towards me. It could have only been about two or three inches high and again I was amazed at how tiny it was. It glowed brighter and brighter and then began to fade. I felt a wave of disappointment as I saw it vanish before my eyes only to then be delighted to see another glow appearing to my left. Sure enough another little angel appeared and then faded followed by another and another. In all there were six of them this time. I just laid on the bed in awe of what I had just seen. I am sure that they came to assist in my healing. It does seem that’s when these little souls arrive.

I remember verses that I had ‘received’ one morning back many years ago. I had woken and heard the words but then as I went about my morning routine I had forgotten them. The next morning as I awoke I was given the words again and I wrote them down. I have no idea who gave them to me, only that it was a soft gentle voice.

The Touch of An Angel

It is only when I close my eyes, that I can truly see, the need in the world and the joy there should be.

It is only when I close my eyes and sit quiet and still, that I hear the whispers of nature, a birds gentle trill.

It is only when I close my eyes and sit quiet and still and empty my mind, that my heart starts to fill.

In a world without form, without these senses we share, I find total peace and feel utter care.

Aware of my soul, the essence of me, there is only one truth, that whatever shall be.

As pure as true love, without fault or shame, there is compassion and truth and no-one to blame.

High in the heavens, as I travel through light, an angel appears, surreal and so bright.

He touches my soul, and repairs all my pain, with a spark of the Divine, I feel whole once again.

I return to this place, with my energies renewed, to complete my life’s work, to assist all of you.

As I open my eyes and hear the noise of this life, I fill my mind with everything that I am as a Mother and wife.

But deep in my soul, throughout every day, I know there’s an angel, just a moment away.

Strangely the words appear to be written in the first person, but I feel that they are for everyone, to enable us to gain an understanding of how easy it is to connect with angels. It was over ten years later, last summer, that I first felt any type of connection with angels at all, but they do say that there is no time in the spirit world, so I am sure one of my lessons is to learn to be patient!

I’m looking forward to my next angel encounter …. no matter how long I might have to wait!

I seem to go through phases in my life when everything, spiritually speaking, goes very quiet. At other times I feel that whichever way I turn they are almost shouting out at me, “Wake up – we are here!”.

The problem is that sometimes I have too many activities going on. Before you think, wow, this woman lives life in the fast lane, I’m talking more about catching up on the washing and ironing, sorting out the freezer, balancing the bank account etc, not terrifically exciting.

I feel that recently I have been busy with people, which is wonderful, and I never complain about that, but the weeks just suddenly whizz by and I realise I haven’t been spending the time I feel I need to be moving forward spiritually.

My weekends with Simon are precious and so I tend to keep Saturday and Sunday free for ‘us time’. I spend a day a week with my twin Tina, then I see friends a couple of afternoons a week. Since writing this blog I now follow other blogs and can easily lose a couple of hours a day reading them, replying to them, and researching what they have been discussing.

On top of that I have just started to become acquainted with Squidoo, which is another way of publishing information on-line. Simon’s hobby is photography and he was told about Squidoo a couple of weeks ago, and of course, once he had looked at it he told me I should, so suddenly another few days went A.W.O.L. as I became engrossed in learning all about it.

There are also friends who live dotted around the world who I try to keep in touch with on a fairly regular basis either with emails or phone calls, relatives who live closer who come over for dinner, pets that need attending to, holidays that need researching etc …. the list is endless!

I also have several books on the go. A friend told me about a book I ‘must’ read which is an alternative way of treating thyroid problems, which I have been battling for years, so that book has joined the other three beside the bed that I am part-way through reading. Then I have my beloved kindle which I have become hopelessly addicted to. I see books that I feel I should read, and now, instead of spending a fortune, I can, for a fraction of the price, download them literally within seconds, and ‘bingo’ yet another book to read!

On top of all of this, due to my health problems, I have to take lots of breaks, and if I don’t my body soon decides to enforce longer rest periods, which is unbelievably frustrating when there is so much to do, that in my head at least, I feel somehow I should be able to fit in.

Well recently I have felt slightly disconnected from spirit. I haven’t attended any workshops or circles for months and haven’t been along to any demonstrations of mediumship for almost a month (my wonderful weekend away!). Everytime I have tried to meditate recently I have found myself falling asleep in the chair and waking up with a stiff neck, so that hasn’t had what I would term the desired effect of feeling closer to spirit at all. Spirit though have a way of letting me know they are around, sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes not quite as subtle as I would like.

If you read one of my earlier posts, 6) Man in the Mirror, you will know that whilst having a shower one day, I happened to see my spiritual guide in the mirror. Since that time I must admit that at times when I’m going to have a shower I do get just ever so slightly spooked. Often I am not, and happily go and have a shower without a thought, but at other times I just suddenly feel that I would be much happier if Simon was sitting close by.

On Sunday I went upstairs to have a shower and Simon was sitting downstairs watching t.v. I felt absolutely fine, not spooked in the slightest, I had put the hot water on, organised my shampoo, conditioner, hair remover etc, and I was just about to get in the shower when I felt aware of ‘something’. I can’t say I was really that worried, but thought that some music might be nice to take my mind off any weird feelings. I bought my portable radio into the bathroom, turned it on and just couldn’t believe my ears when the tune ‘Man in the Mirror’ boomed out! I think that was quite a coincidence – if there are such things as coincidences – which I gather from a spiritual point of view there are not! I decided that I would be brave and continued to have my shower, on my own, and really felt that I had overcome one of my fears. Fortunately nothing odd appeared in the mirror that time! Phew!

Last week I went to see my friend Kay. She has been very unwell with vertigo for several months and has been rarely able to leave her home due to her unrelenting dizziness. I love to go and visit her as she is very good company, full of interesting stories, and we also share a lot of common experiences from our childhoods. She has had an awful lot to contend with health wise over the last few years and she always amazes me with her positive approach to life. She is one of life’s fighters and I have never once heard her complain or make ‘poor me’ comments, she just takes everything in her stride, looks for the best in every situation and most importantly, looks at how she can help others in the same boat as her. She is one very strong lady!

Well that very morning Kay had been to the doctors for some test results and was told that she was diabetic and that she would need to take medication and change her diet. As we were sitting talking, I suddenly felt compelled to give her healing. I should explain that I am not what I would call a healer at all. There have been a few instances in my life where I have had the same feeling, and always gone along with it, knowing that spirit obviously see a need. I sat there whilst Kay and I were discussing her new diagnosis, becoming increasingly aware of what I can only describe as an instruction, that I should give her healing. I ignored the feeling for a few minutes until it became overwhelming and I really had no choice in the matter. Now, Kay has been ill since last summer, and I hadn’t once felt I should give her healing, so this was quite a new experience for me. I asked her if she would mind and she said it would be fine.

She was sitting down and I stood behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders. Within moments my hands felt as if they were fizzing, and they also felt extremely hot. My whole body became hotter and hotter, even my toes were hot, and I normally have cold feet. Even though my eyes were closed I could see a bright light, almost like a beam, coming towards me. I felt that we were both immersed in this wonderful healing ray. Kay said she could feel the heat across her chest and she too was aware of a light, which she felt was going to her heart. It was a truly beautiful serene time. I kept hearing the word opalite, which meant nothing to me. I tend to ignore anything I hear until I am told it several times, just in case it is my imagination, but I just kept hearing that word. I have never had much interest in crystals and know nothing about them at all, but did feel that this was something to do with a crystal.

I gradually felt my hands return to normal and the heat left me. As I sat down I told Kay that I had kept hearing the word opalite. She didn’t know what it meant either, so we looked it up in a reference book she has about crystals. I was stunned when I read that it is used to regulate insulin!!! My goodness, I just couldn’t believe it. I just love it when spirit gives me pertinent information that I would have never known about before, and when I research it, it proves to be totally correct.

I had always considered crystals a little ‘new age’ and never really thought of them as a serious way to heal or balance the body before. I shall certainly view them with more reverence in future. Hmmmm …. I feel another book or two that will need reading!

I had been chronically ill for a long time when I went along to my first ever healing evening at a spiritualist church. I had absolutely no idea what to expect and only went to accompany a friend. I thought that as it was at a church we would all sit in rows, someone would talk to us about healing and that we might sing a couple of hymns and say a few prayers. I had no knowledge of healing, spiritual or otherwise, and didn’t expect the evening to be particularly special or eventful.

So I was surprised, when instead of rows, the chairs were just dotted around the room, and as we walked in I was asked where I would like to sit. I just chose the closest chair and felt a bit odd just sitting there, with no idea what was about to happen. After a few of us had taken our seats the person in charge then allotted a healer to each of us. A very old lady with a gentle smile came and stood beside me and introduced herself as Jeanie. She explained that she was a student healer but that everything she did would be overseen by the woman in charge. I immediately felt at ease and relaxed and just thought to myself that her healing may do some good and certainly wouldn’t do any harm.

The lady in charge said the most beautiful prayer and soft spiritual music was played. The room then became quieter and everyone spoke in hushed tones. Jeanie stood in front of me and asked if I minded her holding my hands, which I said I didn’t at all. She looked straight at me and said “I shouldn’t really be telling you this but I am sure I have your Dad with me,” she went on to give a detailed physical description which exactly fitted him. She told me that when she was healing she shouldn’t really be connecting to a spirit, but felt that she had to tell me my Dad was there because she felt his love so strongly. Then she said something that I will never forget. She said “he is telling me to tell you that if his love could cure you, you would be well”. I was stunned, and desperately trying not to cry as they were the exact words that my Dad had said to me the previous summer when we had sat in my garden. He had held my hands and told me he loved me and said that if his love could cure me I would be well!

I had been pretty certain that Dad was there because of Jeanie’s description, but that message just blew me away. No-one would have known that Dad had said those very words to me. I knew how upset both he and Mum had been seeing me so ill and feeling so useless at not being able to take away my pain, all they felt they could do was show how much they loved and cared for me.

Jeanie walked behind me and asked if she could then place her hands on my shoulders, which I said was fine. She said if I wanted I could close my eyes. I remember feeling quite overwhelmed by her message and then felt total peace as I closed my eyes and just listened to the music in the background. The next thing I knew was that I was not aware of my body at all, it was the oddest sensation, I felt so light and like I was floating. I tried to feel my feet on the floor, but it was like they didn’t exist. All I could see was the colour green, a bright vibrant green, like a fresh leaf in springtime with the sun streaming through it. I was surrounded by it, enveloped by it and strange as it may seem, it was as if I was it. I felt like I was a disc at the centre of me and I was spinning round and round. The spinning became faster and faster and faster, all I can really say it that I was, or became, just pure and utter bliss. I tried to work out what I was and all I could come up with was that I felt like a Catherine wheel!

I was unaware that I had slumped forward in the chair and the next thing I knew was that the lady in charge was asking me if I was alright. I felt dazed, and to be honest, almost a little annoyed to be bought back from ‘Blissville’. Jeanie later told me that it was the most profound healing session for her. She said she had never felt so much love coming through her. I felt elated knowing that my Dad was there for me.

It was only several months later when I first started to learn about chakras that I was surprised to read that chakras are discs that spin, sometimes described as energy vortices throughout the spiritual body. The heart chakra is normally green and is often associated with love and healing. Now, when I meditate I sometimes visualise my chakras, working my way from the base chakra upwards through my body, and I always smile when I get to my heart chakra, because to me it will always be my very own Catherine wheel!